Posted on Mar 21, 2017 in Blog
Dear Soon-To-Be Mother (through birth or adoption), Becoming a mom for the first time was shockingly hard for me. I didn’t expect it to be. I was determined to leave full-time work, and even tried to resign before having my first daughter. Thankfully, my boss wouldn’t let me and kept me on an intermittent employee. But prior to giving birth, I envisioned my new life as a stay-at-home... read more

Posted on Nov 22, 2015 in Blog
When you see those two lines on your pregnancy test, many things race through your head. For a lot of moms-to-be, the cost of having a baby is at the forefront. Anticipated expenses include nursery furniture, decorations, car seats, strollers, high chairs, layettes, and the latest baby monitor. Even worse, you might be subject to high deductibles, co-pays, and out-of-pocket expenses. You might... read more

Posted on Nov 14, 2015 in Blog
October through November is open enrollment for your annual medical flexible spending account, or FSA. This is the account that is supplied incrementally from each of your paychecks, on a voluntary basis, and that reimburses you for co-pays, contact lenses, braces, and more. I bet you didn’t know that the IRS also approves doula costs and childbirth classes on its list of acceptable... read more

Posted on Oct 2, 2015 in Blog
When I was introduced to this process for the first time, watching Baby-Led Breastfeeding: The Mother Baby Dance, I was overwhelmed with emotion. After nursing two children and being a biologist myself, I couldn’t believe that I didn’t know human babies could find their way to the breast and latch on perfectly on their own, with only a supportive hand from mother. How different... read more

Posted on Oct 1, 2015 in Blog
Babies, as long as they do not have medical needs, should be placed immediately upon the mother’s chest in a practice known as “kangaroo care” (which is more specific than skin-to-skin contact as the baby’s fully naked body is placed upon his mother’s chest). This benefits both mothers and babies. Newborns are calmer, warmer, more comfortable, and more able to... read more

Posted on Aug 17, 2015 in Blog
You might be aware that I am a wildlife biologist. Or I was. I had a minor identity crisis as I began to learn more about my desire to begin birth work. It was difficult to think that I might actually consider leaving my biologist career to do something so completely different. I struggled with that realization for a while. This past weekend, I had an incredible meeting with two women who are... read more